Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin Set For Final Women’s AFCON 2026 Qualifiers In October

The final round of qualification for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco will take place from 20th to 28th October, 2025.

Ten-time WAFCON winners and defending champions, the Super Falcons of Nigeria are facing the She-Cheetahs of the Benin Republic, while Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses will meet Algeria’s Lady Fennecs.

Cameroon, runners-up in 2014 and 2016, must navigate a challenging tie against a fast-rising Algerian side. Algeria reached the quarter-finals in Morocco in July 2025, finishing second in their group behind Nigeria.

They beat Botswana 1-0, drew 0-0 with both Tunisia and Nigeria, and lost 2-4 on penalties to Ghana’s Black Queens in the quarter-finals.

The Indomitable Lionesses did not qualify for this year’s finals in Morocco and were defeated 2-0 by Nigeria in a recent friendly in Abeokuta.

Nigeria will play the first leg of their tie in the Benin Republic, with the return leg in Nigeria. Benin reached this stage after defeating Sierra Leone 5-2 on aggregate, winning 2-1 in Togo and 3-1 in Monrovia, playing both matches away due to the absence of CAF-approved venues.

Other key fixtures include Senegal vs Cote d’Ivoire, with Senegal reaching the quarter-finals in Morocco before losing to South Africa on penalties.

The winners of the 11 final qualifying matches will join hosts Morocco for the March 2026 finals, where the four semi-finalists will qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. Two additional African slots for the global football event will be decided via a play-off tournament.

2026 Women’s AFCON Final Round Fixtures:

Angola vs Malawi

DR Congo vs South Africa

Tanzania vs Ethiopia

Namibia vs Zambia

Burkina Faso vs Togo

Algeria vs Cameroon

Egypt vs Ghana

Kenya vs Gambia

Benin Republic vs Nigeria

Cape Verde vs Mali

Senegal vs Cote d’Ivoire

Note that FIFA has confirmed that the 2027 Women’s World Cup will feature 32 teams, with the number rising to 48 teams in 2031, co-hosted by Mexico and the United States.

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